Battle of Summa

DATE: 02/02/2025

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: WW2

MAP(S): Summa Winter

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Luanmh for Brothers in Arms

SLOTS: 58 / 71

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RATING: (9)

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The first Battle of Summa was fought between 16 and 22 of December 1939, right after the start of the Winter War. Summa had an strategic importance as it led to the city of Viipuri (Today Vyborg in Russian territory) and was part of the Mannerheim Line, being one of the most fortified defenses of the Karelian Isthmus. Finnish defenses at the region consisted mostly of concrete bunkers and a large line of rocks and barbed wire to hold off soviet infantry and tanks. Despite that, it had some problems: the Munasuo swamp, located at the eastern part of the defensive line, gave an opportunity for soviet tanks to advance through. Due to their infantry being held back by the Finnish defenders, the tanks were unable to keep their advance and got destroyed. It was only until February of the next year that Soviets got to break through the defenses, at the 2nd Battle of Summa.

Despite it having less troops and modern weapons, Finland had a lot of veterans from its civil war. Not only that, but most of them were familiarized with the terrain and were well equipped to face the harsh winter at the time, while the soviets suffered with the lack of proper clothes and training. While being part of the former Russian Empire during its independence, Finland inherited most of the equipment used by the old regime. These were some of the factors that contributed to the Finnish success in the start of the war.

In the following months, the war started to take its toll on Finnish forces. The Soviets, while having a much larger force and capable of keeping their advance, decided to end the war after considering the large number of casualties and a possible French-British intervention.